Lyric Poetry, Diction of

(2,195 words)

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Abstract

The term ‘lyric poetry’ is generally used by modern scholars to describe Greek solo compositions characterized by a degree of self-awareness and personal intimacy. In the ancient terminology, however, ‘lyric’ also includes other types of poetry (such as choral odes). In standard handbooks, Greek lyric largely coincides with the works of four poets from three different regions of Greece: Sappho and Alcaeus (…